Purlbed

Ottoman ridges › With floats

Ottoman with floats (ripples on placement bed)

Raised narrow vertical columns of ripples (worked needles) alternating with flat floats bridging across gaps; resembles basket weave (floats ≈ purl blocks, ripples ≈ knit blocks); placement makes blocks, chevrons, diamonds.

Machine types that can knit it

Demo swatch

Drawn for: Double-bed hand flat (V-bed)
Approximate preview worked out from the bed chart, not a photo.
Bed chart
15101520253035→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←→←Back bedBoth beds (double jersey)Out of work1 square = 1 stitch × 1 row · read from the bottom · Hand flat (V-bed), 36 needles, half pitch
Needle notation, first steps
1. Rows 1–2: knit 2 rowsDouble jersey (all needles)carriage →backfront2. Transfer 20 stitches to theback bedbackfront3. Rows 3–8: knit 6 rowsBack bed onlycarriage →backfront4. Rows 9–10: knit 2 rowsDouble jersey (all needles)carriage →backfrontShowing needles L18–R6 of 36; repeat across the working area.

Steps

  1. Full-needle cast on; transfer all Y to X; knit few X-only rows.
  2. On last base row, bring placement needles on Y into work (forward position).
  3. DJ 1 row (tuck foundation).
  4. Yarn B, Y-bed only, k rows (floats over gaps).
  5. Yarn A, DJ row
  6. Before DJ row 2: transfer old Y stitches to X, deactivate, bring new Y needles forward.
  7. DJ row 2; repeat from 4.

The full card

What it looks like
Raised narrow vertical columns of ripples (worked needles) alternating with flat floats bridging across gaps; resembles basket weave (floats ≈ purl blocks, ripples ≈ knit blocks); placement makes blocks, chevrons, diamonds. Shrinking backing makes floats crinkle organically; shrinking float yarn blooms fluffy.
How it behaves
Columnar ridges + flat float bands; medium relief.
How it works
Roll rows knit on the bed that has the needle placement; gaps float across. New Y needles must be brought in on the last DJ row so they tuck (foundation) and form full stitches on the first roll row.
Machines
Double bed; transfer tools. Max float ≈ needles per inch (gauge) (e.g. ≤10 out-of-action needles on 10gg); domestic tolerates slightly more. Lowering feeder tip on V-bed helps but risks collisions.
Parameters
working groups 2–10 needles, gaps up to gauge; roll rows 4–6 (can be 2+2+2 in two colours); DJ 2 rows.
Steps
1) Full-needle cast on; transfer all Y to X; knit few X-only rows. 2) On last base row, bring placement needles on Y into work (forward position). 3) DJ 1 row (tuck foundation). 4) Yarn B, Y-bed only, k rows (floats over gaps). 5) Yarn A, DJ row 1. 6) Before DJ row 2: transfer old Y stitches to X, deactivate, bring new Y needles forward. 7) DJ row 2; repeat from 4.
Charting
Per needle: loop symbols for back-bed rows; dark column = Y worked, light = skipped/float; up-arrow = transfer Y→X; separate colour for "new needles into work" DJ row.
Limits and common problems
Two adjacent empty needles on a single bed can't make separate new stitches—double bed back-bed loops provide the anchors; long floats → missed stitches.
Combines with
post-processing of floats (next card), multicolour ripples, shrink yarns.
Pieces and assembly
Channels between rolls can hold inserts or fastenings.

Written in our own words from machine manuals, knitting references and swatching. Knit a test swatch before a whole piece.

Open in the technique libraryAll technique cards

Related techniques